Dear Ridge and Partners LLP

I am writing to you, and a few other close supporters, with some wonderful and much anticipated news. The Phase III interim results of the Oxford and AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine trials have just been published. We are delighted to report that the vaccine demonstrates 70.4% efficacy in 24,000 participants, and tests in one dosing regimen show that the efficacy could be 90%. Please read the full details in our official announcement here.

The findings are very encouraging and are a testament to the brilliance and dedication of so many researchers at Oxford who have been working around the clock, seven days a week, for many months. I would also like to acknowledge the thousands of volunteers who have participated in the trials across the world. These results are the outcome of a truly global collaboration.

From the beginning, our goal has been to identify a solution to the pandemic in an affordable and accessible vaccine that would benefit rich and poor in all parts of the globe. Our agreement with AstraZeneca will make the vaccine available on a not-for-profit basis during the pandemic and in perpetuity to low- and middle-income countries.

While there is still a great deal of work to be done, today is a day for celebration. Thank you to everyone who has supported us in getting here.
Yours sincerely

Professor Louise Richardson
Vice-Chancellor